Little stinker!

Sometimes the line between naughty and cute is a blurry one, and it seems to become more so the older Sophia gets. How do you correct said naughty kiddo when you are trying not to laugh, and are thinking about how you are going to HAVE to call Dada at work to tell him the story?

Yesterday I made Sophia toast with peanut butter and banana for breakfast. And not just any old toast . . . no, this was cut up fancy, and the banana was sliced in little circles and placed on top of the peanut butter. What a feast!

But Sophia didn't want to eat it. Well, she ate a couple banana slices and half a piece of toast. Not a great amount, but I could be happy if she just ate a little bit more banana. So I told her she could get down when she ate "this much" (the amount in one section of her plate) banana. The rest of the banana and other half piece of toast was scattered all over her plate and high chair tray, broken into little itsy bitsy pieces. Having given Sophia her marching orders, I left the room to deal with a screaming Jude.

I came back into the kitchen a few minutes later to discover a beaming toddler with not only an empty section of plate, but an entirely empty plate AND high chair tray!

"Wow, Sophia! You did such a great job! Did you eat all of your banana?!"

"Yeah! Absolutely!" (Said with a HUGE smile and upraised arms . . . absolutely is her latest favorite word.)

"Mommy is very proud of you, you listened to me so well. Let's get you down now and you can go play."

I always clean her tray off first, and then her, so I picked up her plate only to discover . . .

Pretty much an ENTIRE banana, in tiny little pieces, carefully hidden underneath!

"Sophia! Did you hide your banana?!"

"Yeah!" (Also said with a huge grin.)

I had no words, and was trying so hard not to laugh. Thus, Sophia did not get reprimanded for the banana-under-the-plate trick. I suppose it was a deliberate deception, but she clearly had no idea that it was wrong, because she was so pleased with herself! A lesson for another day . . . next time I find her meal UNDER her plate, hopefully I will have the right words for the occasion.